How do you summarize interview results?

Below is a structured approach to summarizing interview results—whether you’re a hiring manager evaluating candidates for an open position, a researcher analyzing qualitative data, or a peer conducting mock interviews. A clear, concise summary helps stakeholders quickly grasp key findings, make informed decisions, and identify next steps.

1. Organize Your Interview Data

1. Gather All Notes and Feedback

   • Collect everything from written notes, transcripts, scorecards, and any relevant observations you (or other interviewers) documented immediately after the interview.

2. Consolidate for Easy Reference

   • Keep all feedback in one place—e.g., a shared folder, spreadsheet, or collaborative platform—so you can quickly scan across multiple interviews and spot common themes.

Tip: If you have multiple interviewers, align on a common format (such as a standardized scorecard) before interviews to make the summarization process smoother.

2. Highlight Candidate or Participant Background

1. Basic Profile Information

   • Summarize who you interviewed: their name, role or relevant background, and any distinguishing traits (e.g., years of experience, specialized skills).

2. Interview Context

   • Note which type of interview was conducted (technical, behavioral, system design, or research-focused) and how it aligns with the project or hiring needs.

3. Relevant Experience

   • If you’re hiring for a software role, mention relevant technologies they’ve worked with.
   • If it’s a research context, briefly state how their background ties into your study or research goals.

3. Use a Clear, Thematic Framework

1. Technical/Hard Skills

   • For coding interviews, summarize the problems given, the candidate’s approach, and time/space complexity considerations.
   • For system design interviews, outline which architectural topics were discussed (e.g., load balancing, partitioning, caching).

2. Behavioral/Soft Skills

   • If the candidate was asked about teamwork, leadership, or conflict resolution, include a short summary of how well they demonstrated these abilities.

3. Cultural or Organizational Fit

   • Note how the candidate’s values and communication style align with the team or company culture.

4. Overall Performance

   • Provide a brief statement on how the candidate’s skills and approach match or differ from the expected role requirements.

Example:

Technical (Coding): Demonstrated solid understanding of BFS/DFS but struggled with edge-case complexity.
Behavioral: Gave clear STAR-method answers, showcasing good conflict-resolution tactics.
Cultural: Appears highly collaborative, referencing multiple team-based achievements.

4. Summarize Strengths and Areas for Improvement

1. Strengths

   • Be specific (e.g., “Excelled at explaining trade-offs in system design,” “Consistently considered edge cases in coding problems,” or “Demonstrated strong leadership in past roles”).

2. Areas for Improvement

   • Offer constructive feedback (e.g., “Should refine approach to dynamic programming,” “Could communicate more concisely in explaining solutions”).

3. Actionable Suggestions (If Applicable)

   • Recommend courses, additional interviews, or resources. For instance, someone needing deeper system design practice might explore Grokking the System Design Interview or schedule a System Design Mock Interview.

5. Include Numerical or Qualitative Ratings

1. Scoring Rubric

   • If you’re using a standardized rubric, share the candidate’s numeric ratings (e.g., 1–5 or 1–10) in each category (technical skills, communication, culture fit).

2. Contextualize the Scores

   • Explain how you arrived at them (e.g., “A ‘4’ in coding means they solved the challenge efficiently but missed some optimization opportunities.”).

3. Comparison to Role Requirements

   • Show if the candidate’s scores align with the minimum bar or if they exceed the requirements in certain areas (like leadership, advanced algorithms, etc.).

6. Provide an Overall Recommendation or Conclusion

1. Clear Recommendation

   • Indicate whether the candidate should proceed to the next stage, receive an offer, or undergo further assessment.
   • In research contexts, mention whether additional follow-up sessions or clarifications are needed.

2. Rationale

   • Offer a brief explanation (e.g., “Strong cultural alignment but moderate technical gaps that can be trained,” or “Excellent system design depth—immediate strong fit for the senior developer position.”).

3. Next Steps

   • If the summary is part of a hiring decision, specify the final steps (e.g., reference checks, final interview).
   • If the summary is for mock interviews, highlight the candidate’s readiness level (e.g., “Likely ready for real interviews at top tech companies” or “Needs 2–3 more sessions to refine coding speed.”).

7. Format for Easy Consumption

1. Use a Clear Template

   • Present each summary with subheadings (background, technical skills, behavioral skills, overall rating, recommendation).

2. Keep It Brief and Scannable

   • Even a bullet list works well if you maintain consistency across candidates or sessions.

3. Tailor to Your Audience

   • If your summaries are for HR or non-technical stakeholders, reduce jargon and focus more on culture fit and communication.
   • If it’s for a CTO or engineering manager, emphasize the technical details and domain expertise.

8. Iterate and Improve Your Summary Process

1. Gather Feedback

   • Check if readers (hiring managers, team members, research collaborators) find the summaries thorough yet concise.
   • If any part of the summary is unclear, refine your method or template.

2. Track Success Metrics

   • In hiring, see if your summarized recommendations align with actual job performance or retention rates.
   • In research, observe if your summaries help you draw consistent, actionable insights.

3. Update Templates Periodically

   • As roles evolve (e.g., more advanced system design roles, new tools or frameworks), adjust the key skills or categories you highlight in summaries.

Conclusion

A well-structured summary of interview results captures the essence of a candidate’s or participant’s performance, highlights core strengths and weaknesses, and provides a clear next step—be it hiring recommendations or additional practice areas for mock interviews. By systematically organizing notes, offering balanced assessments, and presenting them in a concise yet informative format, you help stakeholders make solid, data-driven decisions while giving candidates or participants meaningful feedback.

Looking to refine interview prep or feedback loops further?

• Explore DesignGurus.io Mock Interviews for coding and system design sessions that come with expert, structured feedback.
• Consult a course like Grokking the Coding Interview to systematically cover essential coding patterns.